Extension Specialist Michelle Eley, Ph.D., was recently recognized for her excellence in community and rural development (CRD) programming with Extension at A&T State University.
Michelle Eley, Ph.D., has spent nearly 18 years with Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T building programs and training staff on efforts focused on community and organizational development, leadership development, food systems planning, emergency preparedness, and civil dialogue/discourse.
The community and economic development specialist was recently recognized for her work by being named the 2021 nominee for the Excellence in Extension Award from the 1890s Region in the area of Community and Rural Development (CRD).
“Dr. Eley's experience and expertise in community and economic development are demonstrated in her Extension work,” said Rosalind Dale, Ed.D., Extension administrator at N.C. A&T. “She has a broad understanding of the interconnectedness of communities, their residents and their wellbeing. She has made many valuable contributions to the land-grant system, Cooperative Extension, and the field of community and economic development in North Carolina, regionally, and nationally.”
Eley’s work helps to strengthen rural communities that face a multitude of challenges, from poverty to a lack of community services to a dearth of information on how to build the capacity of their communities and farms. She has secured more than $2 million in external support to expand Extension efforts to reach these communities and provides training to Extension faculty and field staff, community organizations, civic leaders, and volunteers.
Her most recent funded project is Youth Stepping Forward. Funded through the National 4-H Council, the program teaches youth in six underserved counties skills in decision making and problem solving so they can address the issues facing their communities. The youth program is modeled after the successful Community Voices program, an Extension at A&T initiative that trains adults to be community leaders. Eley has been instrumental in the success of Community Voices and has trained more than 120 adults and youth as facilitators of the program in the last five years. She is also part of a national and statewide training team that developed the program Coming Together for Racial Understanding, an effort supported by ECOP and the Southern Rural Development Center that has offered training for Extension staff nationwide as well as community leaders.
Eley serves on a wide range of committees and task forces related to her expertise, including the Southern Regional Program Leadership Network, 1890 Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Advisory Group, and the CRD Advisory Team for N.C. Cooperative Extension. She holds a Ph.D. in human and community development and a master’s in agricultural economics (both from the University of Illinois) and a bachelor’s in agricultural economics from N.C. A&T.
“Extension has given me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of so many people,” said Eley. “I’m thrilled to know that the 1890s Region recognizes the importance of my work, and I’m thankful to all our partners, agents, specialists, and community members who have worked with me over the years.”
